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What Is A College Athlete Worth?

College football may see dramatic changes in the next year. On April 15, the NCAA’s legislative council approved a proposal that allows Division I schools to provide unlimited meals and snacks to all athletes. The proposal must still be approved by the board of directors, which will meet on April 24. However this concession on the NCAA’s part pales in comparison to the demand of some Division I football players to be treated as employees of their schools. Recently, a regional director of the National Labor relations board in Illinois ruled that Northwestern football players on scholarship are employees of the university and have the right to form a union and bargain collectively.

Shaq Rowell, a defensive tackle and future draft pick out of the University of West Virginia, believes the steps Northwestern players are taking to collectively bargain are in the right direction. To Rowell, the disparity between the revenue generated by many Division I football programs and the lack of money their players see is unacceptable. With the upcoming addition of a college football postseason, players will be playing in more games and generating more revenue in sponsorships, television deals, and ticket sales for the NCAA and their respective schools. While he is “incredibly thankful” for the benefits West Virginia provided him, the amount of money being made by large college football programs pales in comparison to the ten-month $1,000 stipend he received for rent, utilities, food and other expenses. For Rowell, $2,000 a month for 12 months would be more than sufficient for college football players. Rowell believes that an increase in stipend would also deter players from seeking out boosters to pay their expenses, or increase the likelihood of students selling autographs and merchandise out of financial need. An increase in financial assistance would in this sense clean up some of the shadier underpinnings of college football.

Shaq Rowell (Justin K. Aller/Getty Images North America)

Whether college football players should be recognized as employees is up for debate but one thing is clear. Regardless of athletes being paid, claims that current NCAA standards uniformly regulate the treatment of student-athletes in Division I football is a misnomer, especially when it comes to medical care.

Carvin Johnson’s move to Hampton University had a significant effect on his playing time and his wallet. A transfer from the University of Michigan, Johnson, a safety now projected to be taken in this year’s NFL draft, realized the marked difference in the way NCAA programs treat their players. The disparity between large and small football programs was exemplified not in merely superficial things like the sponsorship change from AdidasAdidas to Russell. At Michigan, Johnson was allowed to live off campus and was given a monthly $1300 check for rent and food. Had he chosen to stay on campus he would have been given room and board and an unlimited dining hall card to feed himself. At Hampton he was forced to live on campus and was given $50 in cash a semester and assured 3 meals a day.

Carvin Johnson

His experience sums up the divide of Division I programs around the country, not only in monetary aid but in medical treatment as well. At Michigan, Johnson’s medical issues were taken care of promptly. Michigan saw to his needs, paying for his contact lenses and dental care and covered anything his insurance did not. At Hampton, Johnson was subjected to months of dispute with the school over who would cover an MRI after an injury he sustained playing.

While Johnson isn’t sure if athletes should be considered employees of the school they play for, he thinks the NCAA should at the very least create regulations that impose a minimum standard of monetary aid for football players for living expenses. Schools should also have to cover medical bills for playing injuries when a player’s insurance does not cover it. To Johnson, these regulations are “not about want, but about need.” He adds: “When players step out on the field they are risking personal harm, schools should do right by them and cover injuries sustained playing.” While he is thankful for the scholarship given to him, In Johnson’s opinion, schools should not have a team if they cannot cover medical expenses, or make players pay for treatment through financial aid. “These benefits should come with a scholarship, most college football players are broke.”

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